1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to header connectors that have protective cover for post headers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Header connectors are known in which an array of posts are held in an insulative housing in a manner that allows first ends of the posts to extend from the housing for insertion into corresponding through-holes of a circuit board, and second ends of the posts to extend from the housing for establishing electrical connection with complementary contacts of a mating connector. One such header shown in FIG. 7 is an unshrouded header in which an array of four contact posts has elongated portions thereof extend in a row through an insulative body portion 20 molded therearound, with post end portions 102, 104 extending beyond mating faces 201, 203 of the body portion 20 for mating with contacts of the complementary connector (not shown) and the substrate 3. A friction lock wall 22 is disposed proximate to the second end portions 104 for allowing the mating connector to be secured thereto. Since the insulative body portion 20 is typically molded around the row of contact posts to form a continuous strip, so a limited contact mating surface 201 is formed adjacent the first end portions 102 for engagement with the circuit board 3. Thus a problem arises when the header is subjected to improper external forces that it tends to cause the first end portions 102 to be disengaged from the circuit board 3, thereby resulting in electrical connection failure between the posts and the circuit board 3.
In addition, there is possibility that the insulative body portion 20 might be open at one side thereof, in a direction that is normal to the second mating face 203 of the header, and thus the exposed contact post portions may be subjected to contamination by the outside dust.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a new header connector assembly which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages.